Business Studies

Staff

About Business Studies

Business Studies is taught as a GCSE to pupils in years 10 and 11 and students cover the following topics:

Basic business framework

Businesses and their customers

How businesses produce their products and services

Human Resources

The external environment

In year 10, pupils study Unit 1 which is entitled the Business Framework. Pupils learn how and why businesses start and what makes a good entrepreneur. They also appreciate the different forms of business structure in the private sector and understand the various aims of a business including profit making and growth. Pupils also learn how ‘ethics’ is becoming important in the economy. Homework is weekly and pupils have a list of homework in their business folders.

Pupils then study how goods and services are used in the business world. After that topic their attention turns to the role that humans play in the business world. This includes areas such as how the recruitment and selection of candidates takes place, training, communication in the workplace and the role of motivation.

In year 11 pupils continue to work on the individual units of the course, the last of which is ‘Business Finance & Control’. They then prepare for their Controlled Task. In the last unit pupils learn the various types of finance available for the business both to start up and for day-to-day expenses. They learn the importance of producing a detailed business plan to show to investors and they also undertake financial calculations. These calculations include Profit and Loss Accounts, Balance Sheets and financial ratios. The Controlled Task is worth 25% of the overall grade at GCSE and starts with a six week research period followed by a 3 hour exam.

Staff & Deparments

About us

Bishop Hedley was established in 1967 due to the growing need to cater for the large populace of Catholic youth aged 11–18 in the Merthyr Tydfil and Heads of the Valleys area.
The vast majority of the pupils of the school stem from the Heads of the Valleys area, serving parishes from Aberdare, Hirwaun, Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Vale, Gurnos, Dowlais, Ebbw Vale, Tredegar and Rhymney.